title: High-dose intravenous immunoglobulin therapy for myasthenia gravis.
abstract: The objective of this open, retrospective study was to investigate whether intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) could induce a clinically obvious improvement in patients with generalized myasthenia gravis (MG), as judged by MG functional status. Fourteen patients with generalized MG were treated during at least one episode with 0.4 g IVIg per kilogram body weight per day for 5 consecutive days. Patients with confounding variables were excluded; this left 11 patients (16 episodes) to be further analysed. We defined improvement as at least a one-step improvement in MG functional status (according to the University of Virginia's Modification of Osserman's classification). Of the treatment episodes, 56% were classified as positive responses. If improvement occurred, onset of improvement started after 3 (1-12) days and peak effect was reached after 7 (4-30) days (median and range). All four patients who required artificial ventilation could be weaned from it 8.5 (6-11) days after the start of IVIg (median and range). Of the patients treated on two occasions, only one patient had a positive response during both. In MG functional status 5, improvement was observed during five of seven episodes. None of the patients with MG functional status 3 responded. Patients with an acute relapse of MG seemed to respond equally well to IVIg compared with patients with subacute deterioration/ chronic-static state (50% versus 60%). The MG functional status at the start of IVIg and on the day of maximal improvement was compared for all episodes together, and significant improvement was noted (P = 0.0052). We did not see any serious side-effects after IVIg treatment. This retrospective analysis suggests that high-dose IVIg is an effective therapy in some patients with deterioration of generalized MG. If improvement occurs, it starts within a few days of the onset of IVIg and the effect seems to peak within 2 weeks.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University Hospital Rotterdam-Dijkzigt, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Jongen
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: van Doorn
authors.forename: F G
authors.initials: FG
authors.lastname: van der Meché
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003710:Demography; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016756:Immunoglobulins, Intravenous / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009157:Myasthenia Gravis / Q000628:therapy*; D012189:Retrospective Studies
chemical_list: D016756:Immunoglobulins, Intravenous